


Beacon Café

by Shiunta



Category: RWBY, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tokyo Ghoul, Discrimination, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Friendship/Love, Implied Cannibalism, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-01-04 06:23:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12163281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiunta/pseuds/Shiunta
Summary: There is a safe place found in Vale for humans, faunus, and ghouls alike. It's a small lighthouse café called Beacon, and it calls to lost souls wandering through life like a moth to a flame. This is the story not of those weary wanderers, but the ones behind the scenes. When a threat rises from the streets, they are the ones who will put it to rest. Not Atlas, not the government, not the investigators.The Hunt will be there to protect.





	1. Chapter 1

#  Prologue 

“Yang, it hurts,” Ruby whispers, feet red and swollen in her worn sandals. She drags them along the ground, shoulders slumped over, exhausted. “It hurts, and I’m tired, and—and I miss dad,” she sniffles, wiping her tear stained face with her sleeve.

Biting her lip, Yang tries to refrain from agreeing or responding with a scathing remark. Instead, she smiles and stays strong for her sister, clutching the small hand in her’s tightly. “Just a little while longer, Rubes, I promise. Here,” she squats down to offer a piggyback ride. “Hop on.”

“I’m almost thirteen,” the young girl mumbles, climbing on carefully despite her weak protest. They continue their trek up the dark street carefully, avoiding particularly populated streets and sticking to the back roads. Ruby buries her face in Yang’s hair, stifling her sobs. “Where is he, Yang? I miss him—so much…”

“Shh, it’s all right,” the blonde stumbles forward, having trouble supporting Ruby’s weight when she, herself, feels tired beyond belief. She tenses at the sound of approaching footsteps, whirling around to put herself between the unknown and her younger sister.

An orange haired man with an unlit cigar wedged between his teeth strolls up to them. “Well, well, lookie here. Two kids who missed their bed time,” he twirls his cane lazily, a wild grin painting his face. “Someone’s gotta teach you kids it’s dangerous out here.”

Yang panics – _he’s human, but he has a Dust weapon and can do damage_ – and tries to calm her baser instinct to fight. Twisting around, she speeds down the street, hoping her natural speed will aide her in her escape—

But it’s useless. Fingers grasp her blonde locks, dragging her back harshly. Ruby falls to the floor at the jerking motion, face twisted in horror and anger. “Yang!”

“Run!” she kicks and punches uselessly at the man, eyes dangerously close to flaring red.

Ruby refuses to listen, yelling at the top of her lungs and charging forward with her small hands balled into fists. The man laughs incredulously and pushes the little girl back, smirking still. “What a joke!”

“Let go o’ me!”

A small explosion sets off by the assaulter’s feet, shocking him into doing just that. “Wha—?!”

“Leave, Roman,” from across the street, Yang spots two familiar figures – a silver haired man with a cane, and a blonde woman armed with a crop whip that shines red. The woman holds it out threateningly. “ _Or else._ ”

“Tch, damn do-gooders,” Roman hisses, adjusting his coat jacket before retreating back the way he came. “You’re lucky, kids.”

“Uncle Ozpin!” Ruby runs over to the man, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his shirt. “Please tell us you know where dad is!”

The man narrows his eyes, looking briefly at his partner before taking the young girl’s hands. “Tai’s missing?”

Yang managed to find her way to her feet, accepting the older woman’s offered hand. “Thanks for helping us out, Aunt Glynda,” she bites her lip, slowly feeling her mask failing her as she remembers why she and Ruby were here in the first place. “A week ago – he said… he was gonna meet with an informant to get information about mo—Raven,” tears sting at her eyes, tracing dried stains. “H-He hasn’t been back since.”

Ozpin mutters something under his breath, expression solemn as he leads the four of them back to a small café. “Glynda, take Ruby upstairs.”

“No!” the small girl shouts, silver eyes burning with determination and a desperate plea. “I want—I _need_ to hear this, too.”

Yang hesitates before nodding in agreement, clutching her sister’s hand to comfort them both. “She stays.”

Glynda gives a soft, understanding sigh before gesturing to the counter, preparing coffee for all of them. “We were certainly worried when he wasn’t answering our calls, but we’d hoped he took you two on vacation, since you hadn’t visited in a week…”

The sisters take their seats at the counter, pulling a cup toward them with greedy hands.

Ozpin drops three sugar cubes in each cup, stirring them carefully before letting them drink. “If what you say is true, then I fear the worst… Tai may have been tricked by a Dove’s plot. We’ve noticed postings of ghoul sightings – all generally famous and high ranking ones that have suddenly gone missing from their radar. There’s no way these ghouls would be cropping up, however, as Glynda and I dispatched most of them—but, that doesn’t mean all of them are accounted for. It’s… likely that Tai caught on to a rumor about Raven and fell right into their hands…”

Ruby tightens her grip on her mug, scooting closer to her sister with a worried look. “You don’t think…” the two of them share the same horrified thought.

“They were going to do the same to us; if we hadn’t come here and suddenly got word that Dad was spotted somewhere, we would’ve gone running…” Yang finishes softly, feeling sick to her stomach. “But, that means dad is—” she holds back the whimper that threatens to rise out of her throat. “He’s… _gone._ ”

Swirling his own cup solemnly, Ozpin nods. “I… hate to say it. But Tai was mostly an informant for us – he wasn’t highly ranking, so it’s likely they didn’t… send him to Cochlea,” he lets the implication lie there, not wanting to further upset the young children.

Yang doesn’t want to believe it. She doesn’t want to accept it. But all the facts are there – and their father would _never_ leave her and Ruby alone for so long. She buries her head in her hands and cries, feeling arms wrap around her and a wailing voice join her own.

They stay there like that for a while, two lost children who mourn their father. It feels worse than being told their mother abandoned them, than hearing Ruby’s mother died giving birth. This is a pain that _burns_ deep inside, never dousing.

It’s past one in the morning when they finally calm down, eyes rubbed raw and coffee pot emptied between the four of them.

Glynda rubs their backs comfortingly, Ruby settled in her lap. “You’ll have to settle here,” she whispers softly. “Patch is mostly cut off from the capital, but there are sure to be soldiers lurking around there, soon. You weren’t born in hospitals or officially registered to Vale, so you won’t be on their watch list; you’ll be safe here.”

“But the people back home,” Yang croaks, voice scratchy, “what about them?”

“Patch hates the government more than they fear ghouls – most of the townsfolk are ghouls, anyway. I’m certain they wouldn’t give you up – not with Tai missing like this,” the woman explains slowly, glancing at Ozpin curiously when the man opens one of their drawers.

He places a coaster on the counter – a shining glyph that looks almost like a snowflake stares back at them. “The both of you are still so young, but I’ll give you the choice right now. You will _always_ have a home in Beacon, be sure of that. But you know we’re the Hunt; you won’t live here for free. Helping out at the shop is fine, but, again, there is the Hunt,” he looks down at the coaster. “But we don’t always have enough to eat, which is where Snowfall comes in.”

Ruby stands up abruptly, almost knocking Glynda over as she slams her hands on the counter. “I’m going to be a Huntress.”

“Ruby,” Glynda sighs softly, patiently, before rising to her feet as well. “We don’t hunt in a way that benefits you.”

“I want to be a Huntress.”

“Most of our food, if we do get it, isn’t the best for you,” Ozpin warns.

“I want to be a Huntress,” the stubborn child affirms. “I don’t care about food or safety. I want to _help_ people, and you guys do that - human, faunus, ghoul, it doesn’t matter to Beacon,” her silver eyes shine with determination. “I’m going to help people.”

A proud feeling warms Yang’s chest, but she frowns when she looks at the coaster again. “Snowfall… it’s a human organization, isn’t it?”

“Yes, in that it’s run by a human, but the members come from all denominations. The Storm gang under them especially is filled with mostly ghouls - it’s not uncommon for people to go missing during territorial fights.”

Yang touches the coaster, emotions swirling inside of her. She doesn’t have the conviction to say she’ll be a Huntress like Ruby - if human was being attacked by a ghoul, would she help? _Probably not._ “I’ll… think about it,” she whispers.

Ruby looks at her worriedly, but doesn’t voice any questions.

“That’s perfectly fine. The both of you should head to bed; it’s been a long week for you. I’ll clean this up, Glynda, you can head home to rest, too,” he waves off her hands when she reaches for the cups.

Glynda frowns, but lets him gather the mugs, turning to the children to give them each a hug before wrapping herself up in a black shawl. She gives one last nod at the door before heading out into the night. Ruby sleepily makes her way to the back, where stairs lead upstairs to the bedrooms, leaving her older sister behind in favor of much needed sleep.

Yang sits at the counter still, watching Ozpin wash the mugs and trying to find the words to form her question. “...How do you do it?”

“Hmn?”

“Help… _humans,_ ” she clarifies, blood boiling at just the thought. “They treat faunus like lesser beings. They treat _us_ like we’re all murdering psychopaths! How can you save someone who hates you like that? They could stab you in the back right as you help them!”

Ozpin turns the faucet off, wiping his hands with a solemn smile. “We never did have this talk, did we?”

“Dad saved _so many people,_ and look where it led him!”

“To Ruby.”

Yang blinks, taken aback.

The smile on the man’s face brightens a bit as he reminisces. “When Tai saved Summer that day, she didn’t stab him in the back, Yang. She didn’t turn him into Atlas or scream for help. She didn’t even _care_ that he was a ghoul because she knew not all ghouls are murderers. Just like how the Hunt knows not all humans are persecutors. Tai joined the Hunt because he truly believe that, and it paid off in love, for him.”

The blonde slumps in her seat, at a loss for words for a moment. “...Why do _you_ do this, then?”

“I suppose I’m the same as Ruby in that regard,” he sets the mugs down with a dark look in his eyes. “I don’t want anyone to lose anyone like I have lost.”


	2. Chapter 2

# Red Robin, Dear Robin

Bells ringing cause all the students to jump out of their seats, chattering and ignoring the teacher who told them to finish the assignments they didn’t get to for homework. Likely, none of them would. Ruby excitedly packs her books away, twirling around in her seat to face the orange haired student behind her. “Penny, was it? I’m so glad you’re in my class! Like, it’s the last one of the day, but that’s cool – you’re a  _ transfer _ student, of course you’re cool!”

The other girl smiles, methodically putting her books into her back before slinging it over her shoulder. “Yes! I am glad, as well! You seem like a very nice person, umm… name?”

“Ruby!” said girl grins, hopping out of her seat and walking with her newfound friend down the hallway towards the main entrance of the school. “You said your dad lived in Atlas, Mantle? How come you’re going to Vale Academy?”

“My father wants me to study out of state. He also did not want me to enlist in the military or police force, so he bought me an apartment at the edge of Vale. I can almost see Atlas Academy from my window, so it is not too far. I can see my father every weekend,” Penny recounts, head tilting back and forth. “Vale is very different from Atlas, though. There are curfews and strict regimens in Atlas, which is not to say that Vale is not strict! It is, in a different way, I would have to say,” they both giggle at the unintended rhyme.

“Yeah, I’ve been to Atlas once or twice – it’s kinda crazy how  _ uniform _ everything seems to be there. It’s like the trees  _ grow _ to be a certain thickness and height!” she waves her arms out, almost hitting another student. “But you’re gonna love it here, I’m sure! I can even show you around Vale – the, uh, city, not the whole state. That’d be pretty difficult, haha.”

Penny’s smile falters, and she fiddles with her bag strap. “I-I am sorry, Ruby. I actually have to meet with somebody today. Next time, maybe?”

“Oh, of course!” a whistle sounds, indicating that the buses are about to leave in a minute. “Oh, oh, I gotta catch my bus back home – you take the one going north?”

“Yes, last stop.”

“My sister hangs around there lots! Maybe I’ll come visit sometimes!”

“That would be nice,” Penny smiles before climbing onto her bus, waving goodbye.

Ruby excitedly waves at the girl before jumping onto her own bus, headed north west. She hums to herself, offering her seat to an elderly man carrying a bag of groceries halfway through the ride. At the last stop, everyone trods off the bus, and Ruby’s the only one to thank the driver – a robot. She doesn’t expect anything in return, she just wanted to do it.

Walking a few blocks further down the street, she spots a deep green building with a lighthouse-like structure protruding from the top. She grins and picks up her pace, skipping down the sidewalk and opening the door with a melodic jangle. “I’m home!”

“Ruby!”an accented voice calls, and Velvet peeks out from the kitchens, wiping her hands on a towel. “We’re closing early today,” she addresses the half cleaned tables that Ruby eyes curiously.

“Oh, I’ll help out!” she drops her bag off on the couch tucked away in the corner closest to the door before rolling her sleeves up with a grin.

The faunus chuckles softly, handing over a wet cloth. “I don’t know where you get that energy from, right out of school.”

“Don’t complain,” Yatsuhashi dusts off his hands, replacing the garbage bags around the edges of the café. “When she helps, this place gets clean faster.”

“That’s true,” Ruby hands Velvet a few plates, gathering up the crumbs to one edge of the table as the rabbit heads back into the kitchen to drop off her load. She spots Fox untying his apron and hanging it up. “Can you get the sign?”

The man in question nods shortly, striding over to the door to lock it, but a blond faunus bursts through the doors suddenly. He pants heavily, red faced and wild grin on his lips. “Please let me hide here!” is the only other thing Ruby can catch from him before he’s ducking behind the cashier counter.

Everyone shares a confused look before an orange haired man opens the door with more force than necessary, followed by three other men. His face is twisted into a furious expression, a red slap mark glowing on his cheek that makes Ruby sputter out a short laugh. “All right, where’s that faunus scum?!”

Velvet flinches, ears drooping at the insult.

“The fuck you just say?” a fashionable woman punches the kitchen door open, what looks like a camera stand leaned against her shoulder. She frowns deeply, unamused at the sight she finds. “Wanna repeat that, Cardin?”

The man stiffens, recognition lighting in his eyes with an almost horrified expression. “Shit, Coco, didn’t realize this was Ozpin’s place,” he pauses. “Not that I’ve ever been. Only heard about it from Nikos.”

“Yeah, and you’ll watch your language in here, we got kids,” Coco jabs her thumb in Ruby’s direction, who waves and gives the woman a ‘look who’s talking’ look. “So? What did you want?”

“This shitty fau—” Cardin flinches at the glare piercing him from behind those sunglasses, “—ony felt up the girl I was dancin’ with!”

“Explains the,” Coco motions to her face, where the blood vessels in Cardin’s cheek have definitely let themselves go. “But haven’t seen any faunus except Velvet here,” and Ruby has to hold in a chortle at that, knowing full well that she can see the monkey faunus that had sped into the café from her spot behind the counter.

“He ran in here! Blonde, monkey tail, shit-eating grin!” the man growls, hands twitching as if they’re about to go for the mace at his hip. Ruby lets go of her wet cloth, watching the man carefully. “I’ll beat the shit black n’ blue, so you better  _ tell me where he is! _ ”

Coco sighs, making Ruby relax her posture because she knows—oh, she  _ knows _ what’s happening next, and so does everyone else who works at Beacon, all of them waiting with bated breath. The  _ click clack  _ of her heels almost echo in the silence as she swings past the corner of the counter, hand on her hip. She stops right in front of Cardin, a good foot shorter than him, leans in and—

Jabs her weapon into Cardin’s stomach with enough force to make him gag. But not vomit – that’d be a chore to clean up, Ruby thinks. The men he came with all reach for their weapons as he falls to his knees, but he holds out a hand to stop them even through his hacking coughs.

He settles his other hand against his stomach, wincing at the likely possibility of it bruising in the morning. Ouch. “No, she—that was called for,” he groans out hoarsely, looking away from the smug woman. “We’re in their territory; I was outta line demanding like that.”

“Good, you know enough to not get your ass handed to you  _ some more _ ,” Coco mockingly praises, crossing her arms. She tilts her head up, looking down at him and winking. “Get the fuck out of here.”

Cardin’s men help him up and out of the café, looking back one last time at the fearsome woman.

“Phew, that was something,” Ruby huffs out, wiping off the last table she was working on before sidling on over to the counter to peek down at the golden monkey. “Coast is clear, Sun!”

“Haha, thanks, Ruby,” the resounding  _ click clack click clack _ approaching him has him turning around, smiling at Coco sheepishly. “You really saved my tail there! See—” he gets cut off when Coco grabs the collar of his vest and pulls him straight down into a headbutt.

“Don’t drag us into your messes! I don’t care what shit you get involved in, but piss off the wrong people –  _ me _ , included – and you won’t get to live to tell about it. Those were _ Snowfall _ guards!”

Sun meeps, pushing his fingers together nervously and pouting. “Sowwy, mommy.”

She smacks him on the head, but only lightly this time, with an amused smile on her face. “So?” they all take a seat at the counter, Coco rounding it to take the spot next to Ruby. “What’d he do to make you grope a woman’s ass? Steal your girl?”

Sun groans, flopping across the top of the counter and only moving back slightly when he’s shooed from intruding Coco’s arm space. “Naw, he was badmouthing us faunus. Thinks he can just talk about us like we’re animals to  _ my face _ and get away with it unscathed? No thanks.”

Velvet trots over with a tray full of coffee mugs, setting one down for everyone before settling in the other seat next to Coco. “You’re so confident, Sun. I don’t think I could ever do that without becoming a nervous wreck…”

“What, grab a woman’s ass? Anyone can do it, Velvet,” Coco teases lightheartedly, fingers waggling just above her friend’s lower back. The faunus flushes bright red, stiffening and panicking inwardly. It makes Ruby laugh softly.

“Velvet went  _ scarlet _ on us,” Sun snorts amusedly, stretching out languidly as his tail flicks behind him. “So, Ruby, what’s cracking with you?”

“Well, you know,” she hums. “School is school, boring and all that, and Yang still won’t let me meet her Snowfall friends! Says I’m ‘too young’, but I’m seventeen—eighteen, today!” the girl pouts, and Coco laughs heartily at her.

“You  _ know _ Snowfall is a bar, right? You won’t be allowed in for another three years,” the woman pats Ruby on the head and perks up as the front door jangles to indicate a visitor. “Oh, look who’s here!”

In walks Ozpin with Glynda behind him, smiling wide and extending his arms out to his goddaughter. Ruby runs over to him and jumps into the embrace happily. “Uncle Oz!”

“Happy birthday, dear,” he twirls her once, setting her down when Glynda gives a shout of worry. “I’m afraid our present is with Yang, so you’ll have to wait.”

“Ooh, is this why you guys were closing up early?”

Glynda sighs, fixing her glasses before leaning down to give Ruby a hug as well. “Of course, Ruby. What would we do if we couldn’t celebrate your birthday in time?” she smiles. “Happy birthday.”

The door slams open for the second time that day, Yang grinning in the doorway and holding a giant box taller than her above her head. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUBES!” she yells energetically, running over to her sister to give her the biggest, crushing hug she can.

Ruby laughs, hugging her sister back with as much energy as the other, and jumps up and down when she’s released. “So? So? What’s that?” she points to the box.

Ozpin walks over to the two, laying a hand on the box to make sure it doesn’t fall when Yang lets go of it. “We all pitched in to have this made by Snowfall. I do hope you’ll forgive us for looking through your diary—”

“What!” the raven haired girl squeaks.

“—but we found the designs you had in mind for your weapon once you became part of the Hunt.”

At that, the teen’s eyes widen, and she looks between her Aunt and Uncle with wonder. “Am I…?”

The back doors swing open, and Fox enters with a large cake with “Welcome to the Hunt!” written on it in red icing. Ruby practically squeals at the sight of it, tears springing up in her eyes as she hugs Ozpin again. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I’ll serve you well! Crescent Rose and I will!” she cries, turning to the box and rubbing the ribbons around it fondly. “Can I open it?”

“Of course,” Glynda smiles.

The excited ghoul tears through the green wrapping after sliding the yellow ribbons off, throwing the cap into the air for someone else to worry about (it’s Yang, who jumps up and grabs it before it can fall on Sun). “She’s gorgeous!” Ruby admires the scythe with wide eyes, tracing the blade with her little fingers. “I can’t believe…” the tears fall down her cheeks freely as she sniffles and looks up at her family.

Ozpin smiles fondly at her. “Welcome to the Hunt, Ruby.”

The rest of the night is spent celebrating the young teen’s birthday, filled with cake for the humans and coffee for the ghouls. An aroma fills the café with laughter and tears both, and Ruby wouldn’t be able to wish for anything more. As it starts to creep into midnight, Velvet and Coco bid their farewells along with Fox and Daichi.

Sun stretches out and flicks his tail back and forth lazily. “Welp, it’s time for me to head out, too.”

Ruby notices Yang’s lilac eyes following the faunus out the door, and she sidles up to her sister with a smirk. “Are you in loooove?” she teases.

The blonde shoves her sister with a laugh. “Yeah right! Way not my type,” she hesitates before pulling out her scroll. “You know these news articles—” Ruby laughs, and they share a snickering look. “Yeah, you don’t read the news. But you know about the Monkey King, right?” Yang shows her the screen, a silhouette of a monkey faunus bounding away with “Phantom Thief Strikes Again!!” plastered above it.

“Yeah, who hasn’t? He’s, like, the talk of the school ever since he stole that statue from the front garden!”

“I’ve had my suspicions before,” the older pockets the scroll with a frown, “but it looks like the police are starting to think the same.”

“That Sun’s the Monkey King? No way! He’s… Sun!” Ruby cries.

Yang sighs. “Yeah. A guy who would do everything for revenge couldn’t possibly be a phantom thief,” at her sarcastic remark, the Rose girl clutches her scythe and looks up at her sister with teary eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to him,” she pats her sister, receiving a “Hey!” in response. “They don’t have any concrete evidence, but I’ll be doing my own investigations. I’ll see it through, myself.”

“You promise?” the raven haired teen asks. “He’s  _ really _ close with us, Yang. I don’t want him to… to go to jail…”

“I promise,” she grins. “And I don’t break my promises.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

#  **The Thief and a Hidden Jewel**

“Hey Junior, get me the usual!” Yang shouts over the thump of the bass, sliding a couple of crumpled lien bills over the counter. “Also, news for the dude!”

The bartender sighs, muttering, “Can’t you ever order something normal? Or, I dunno, _pay your tab?_ ” under his breath before reaching under the counter to pour some coffee into a mug for her. He nods over to the dance floor before heading over to another customer.

Dropping a brown sugar cube into the cup, she swirls it before downing the drink.

Lukewarm and watery, gross.

She grins; it’s perfect.

Slamming the mug down (just enough to elicit a “Hey!” from Junior, but not enough to do actual damage to the bar), she scans the dance floor with a purpose. Lilac eyes latch onto neon blue hair, and she sets off from the stool to sway her way onto the dance floor.

The beat resonates in her body, steps matching the song and bodies grinding against her as she passes by. She returns an appreciative grind of her own to some particulars before reaching her target. He’s dancing with an olive-skinned, green haired girl, and a thought pops up in her head.

Yang swivels around them, grinding up against the girl and whispering hotly in her ear, “Bet I can show you a sweeter time.”

The girl squeaks embarrassedly, flushing when she meets that sultry lilac gaze. She quickly flees from the dance floor, leaving behind an amused blonde and a disappointed man.

“You’re totally killing my game!” he shouts over the music, continuing to dance beside Yang. “What’s up?”

She sways to the music, nodding towards the back exit. “Monkey King!”

The look in his eyes go serious, and he follows her out the back. “You found him?” he asks excitedly, child-like giddiness escaping from him.

“Yeah, but the police have also caught on, I hear from the grapevine. Sun Wukong,” she laughs shortly. “Funny, right? Anyway, smart cookie me was able to find out who his partner is, at least. She was hard to track down – for good reason – but I was able to put two and two together: Blake Belladonna.”

Neptune frowns. “White Fang’s second-in-command?”

“More like ex-in-command,” Yang pulls up some news articles on her scroll, leaning over to show him. “Ever since she left the gang, Monkey King has almost entirely stopped being a phantom thief. Instead, seems like his purpose is to get in the way of the White Fang. Often.”

“Nice work. The police moving in anytime soon?”

“They had a raid set up for this weekend, but they got a notice from the Monkey King this morning. They moved it up to tonight, so if we wanna do something, it’s gotta be now,” she puts her scroll away and rests her hands on her hips. “So? We going in or not?”

Neptune rubs his chin thoughtfully, pacing slowly. “What time’s the raid?”

“In… an hour.”

“Dust, you couldn’t tell me sooner?”

“Sorry man, short notice for us all out here.”

“You’ve got the address?”

“Who do you think I am?” the blonde raises an eyebrow and pats her butt. “Swiped it this morning. So, bossman?”

“I really should talk this over with Weiss first, but with the clock running against us, we might have to go. Like, right now,” he pulls his keys out of his pocket and strides around the corner to a covert, black car.

“Oh, no. We’re doing this my way,” Yang twirls her keys and beeps her bike. “Faster in traffic, especially this time of night,” she struts past the annoyed man and straddles her beloved Bumblebee. “Get on, lover boy,” she jokes.

“How many times have I told you not to call me that,” he groans and begrudgingly slides into the backseat, snapping a helmet on. “Where we headed?”

“Right outta Vale, Bleaktown.”

“Subtle living, there,” Neptune notes as Yang starts up her motorbike and drives off down the road. She races down the street past cars with ease, throwing a middle finger to a guy that tries to block her way. “Watch it!”

“What? If I’ve got a path, I’m going for it!” she yells back at him over the roar of the wind.

Bleaktown is a forty minute ride from Snowfall, but Yang makes it in thirty. She whoops as they come to a stop in front of an abandoned park. “It’s just down this block.”

“Which house number?” he asks as he rolls the helmet off his head and fixes his hair.

“Seventy nine,” she reads off the number from the paper. “What do you think they’re like? I mean, an ex-gang member and a phantom thief? It sounds so… mysterious, doesn’t it?”

“Iunno, prolly less romantic than you’re thinking, that’s for sure,” the blue haired man catches up to her as they approach the house. “Do me a favor, let me do the talking? Sometimes you get a bit,” Neptune rocks his head back and forth, eyes squinted, “excited, to say the least.”

“Whatever you say, bossman,” she shrugs and walks beside him up the little stone path.

The house isn’t old, by any means, but the paint could use a bit of fixing up. Not like the residents would be staying there for long though, Neptune thinks as he knocks on the door twice, clearing his throat and stepping back just in case the door hits him in the face. Yang inspects a bonsai on the patio, humming and hawing over the obvious care put towards the plant.

As expected, the door swings open with the energy of a thousand suns, which is fitting considering they’re greeted by a blonde monkey faunus with a sunny smile. “Hi, what can I do for you?”

“Uhh,” Neptune stares a bit, eyes roving over the open shirt before snapping back to blue eyes as clear as this morning. “Hi. I’m Neptune, and this is Yang.”

“Sup,” she nods but pays more attention to the plant than the man.

“Listen, this might sound odd, but––you’re in danger,” he hurries to say, minutes ticking by in his head like seconds. “You and Blake both.”

The man tenses and narrows his eyes. “How do you know about Blake?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Yang straightens up and leans against the wall. “We’re out of time. Cops are starting to pull in early down the street. I hear their sirens.”

“Sirens? I don’t hear anything,” Neptune wrinkles his nose.

The faunus steps back with a snarl. “Cops?”

“No no no! We’re not,” the blue haired man shakes his hands and tries to fix the situation. “Look, we’re trying to help you; cops are on the way right now to arrest you and Blake. Right now, we need to figure out a way to get out of here––”

“Yeah, you do,” Sun quips, slamming the door shut.

“Wait!” Nepturne knocks on the door. “You can’t escape them on your own!”

Yang folds her arms and yawns. “Real smooth.”

“I’m sorry, but this is not exactly my forte!”

“Well then, let’s do it our way,” Yang pushes Neptune to the side a bit and kicks down the door.

Sun whips around to face the entrance and sighs. “You shouldn’t have done that,” he extends a bo staff from his sleeve. “Blake!”

“Yang, what the hell?!” Neptune shouts as she loads her gauntlets. “We’re supposed to be helping them!”

“And if they don’t come quietly, we make them!” Yang grins, jumping forward and aiming a punch at Sun’s head, except an energy blast blows her off to the side over a couch. “Oof!”

“Who are these people, Sun,” Blake asks from the staircase, her gun still smoking from the shot.

“We don’t have _time_ for this,” Neptune groans as he runs over to Yang, who flips her hair over her head as she stands up again.

Lilac eyes look over the raven haired woman, who descends the stairs at an agonizingly slow pace. “When they don’t listen to reason, you gotta beat some sense into them,” Yang explains, punching her gauntlets together. “That’s what you taught me, isn’t it?” she asks in an innocent tone that doesn’t match the bloodthirsty grin on her lips.

“Worst time to remember that. Worst,” Neptune grumbles to himself, though he does spin out his trident and prepare for battle despite his misgivings about a fight.

Sun is the first to move, kicking off the wall to prepare an overhead strike at Yang, who blocks with her gauntlet and forces an energy blast into his stomach. Blake catches him as he falls back, only briefly stopping before she disappears from view. She strikes Neptune from behind with a sword, though he just barely blocks it with the pole of his trident. Yang surges forward with a battle cry to try to land a punch, but she ends up hitting an after image and getting kicked in the gut for her efforts.

Neptune swings his trident at Sun, who secures his bo staff in front of him as a guard. The blue haired man pushes off with all his strength, coughing forcefully when Blake hits his back with the sheathe of her sword. “Damn, that’s harder than it looks,” he runs his thumb over his mouth and coughs again. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching my six?”

“Hard when she disappears like that,” Yang remarks when the raven haired woman runs up to them. She spins around to avoid a thrust and punches downward on the blade in an attempt to disarm. Except even though Blake lets go of her weapon, she swings her sheathe which is connected to the sword with a ribbon. Yang barely evades in time, bending backwards and having to block a flurry of thrusts from Sun’s staff. Neptune blocks a strike from Blake, twisting the sheathe between the prongs of his trident to disarm her again.

Blake catches the hilt of her sword and slashes at Neptune, who guards against the onslaught. Sun dips down and sweeps his leg across the floor, but Yang jumps up and kicks him in the side of the head to knock him into the wall.

“Sun Wukong! You are under arrest for theft! Please come out immediately with your hands behind your head! I repeat!” as the announcer outside begins to speak again, Sun rolls over from his spot on the floor and groans.

“Goddess, you weren’t kidding. Cops were really after us,” he jumps up and wobbles a bit in place, holding his head. “This isn’t over,” he promises. “But for now, we gotta get out of here.”

“The back. We can climb over the fence and slip into the sewers,” Blake offers, tying her blade at her hip quickly. She helps Sun stabilize himself before hurriedly walking to the backyard.

As the other two follow, Yang peeks outside. “Tsk. Ironwood’s out there. I’d love to give that bastard a piece of my mind…”

“No time for that, we’re way outnumbered out there,” Neptune reminds, ushering the ghoul out the back. The fence is a tall, wooden thing standing at about six feet. Each of them grab the top and haul themselves over it with varying levels of difficulty. Neptune ends up falling over on the other side. “Ugh. I’m okay,” he manages, brushing the dirt off his pants. “By the way, sewers? Not exactly the greatest escape plan. Not in these jeans.”

“They have a perimeter set up around the house, this is the only way we can get out that they don’t know about,” Sun informs as he finally starts to walk on his own. “If you’ve got a better idea, believe me, I’d take it.”

Neptune frowns. “Good point.”

Blake shakes a flashlight in her hand before turning it on and stepping past the broken grate to the sewers. “Who are you guys, anyway?”

“Oh, right, I’m Yang, and this’ Neptune,” the blonde explains as she steps over some trash. “We’re part of Storm.”

“Storm––the gang? Why the hell would you want to help us?” Sun asks quizzically.

“We help the lost and troubled.”

“We’re not lost,” Blake cuts in harshly. “And we’re not troubled.”

“O...kay, the stealing and White Fang would probably say otherwise.”

Blake turns around sharply and glares at Neptune. “We have a purpose. And it’s none of your business.”

“We won’t mess with that,” the blue haired man holds up his hands in defense. “We just want to help you is all.”

“And why’s that? No one helps for no reason,” the raven haired woman snaps.

“Look lady, Storm is all about helping people like us,” Yang speaks up, hands on her hips. “People who are different. People who have been oppressed and broken and beaten down till you can’t get back up. We help those people get back up. We help the lost find their way through whatever shitstorm they’re going through,” she grabs the ladder on the wall and starts climbing up. “And right now? You’ll need a lot of help.”

Blake tilts her head. “She’s not a faunus.”

“She’s a ghoul,” Neptune tells them. “She’s lived her whole life taking care of her sister and making sure she has a good life. Because in this world, people are so afraid of what they don’t know that they’re willing to exterminate it before they get to know it,” he sighs. “Look, I’m not saying you have to give us an answer right now. But if you ever need help, we’re your people. Being the thief you are… your motivations are noble to steal from the rich to give back to those who need it. And stopping the White Fang? Phew, that takes a lot of guts.

“So… I don’t want you guys getting captured and becoming front page news only to be forgotten years later. You’re worth more than that,” the Storm gang leader smiles. “If you ever need help, you can find us at Snowfall Bar. See you round,” he climbs up the ladder and chases after Yang, who’s stormed off quite a ways away.

“What? Gonna scold me for getting excited again?”

“No, I think that helped, actually.”

“Not gonna tell them the real reason why you want them to join?”

Neptune flushes and shoves Yang to the side. “Shut up,” he scratches his chin. “It’s not the _only_ reason.”

“But it’s the main one,” she teases.

“Yeah? Well, I saw you checking out Ms. Belladonna there, too,” the man huffs.

“She’s a real beaut, not gonna lie,” Yang grins. “Can’t wait to see them again!”

The blue haired man shakes his head, straddling Bumblebee while putting his helmet on. “Let’s hope this isn’t the last time we do.”


End file.
